Pocket container for cigarettes



J. W. ENFIELD POCKET CONTAINER FOR CIGARETTES Nov. 10, 1953 2Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 16, 1952 4 INVENTOR JOHN W ENF/ELD ATTORNEY O10, 1953 J. w. ENFIELD POCKET CONTAINER FOR CIGARETTES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2Filed July 16, 1952 FIG. 5

ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 10, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE POCKETCONTAINER FOR CIGARETTES John W. Enfield, Chico, Calif.

Application July 16, 1952, Serial No. 299,082

3 Claims. 1

The present invention relates generally to containers and specificallyto a pocket-size container for cigarettes, medicines, or the like whichare most desirably taken at pre-arranged intervals or at set timesduring the day.

The container of the present invention therefore has for its principalfeature a time-interval indicating means connected with the latch whichopens the container, so that as the container is opened the indicatingmeans advances to the next hour, or to the time of the next intendedopening. This makes the invention of considerable use to a person whoneeds to be reminded of the hour of the next dosage of a medicine, and,conversely, is of even more use to a person who wishes to limit himselfto the consumption of, say, a cigarette every two hours, or three a day.

Another object of the invention is to provide such a, containerconstructed of inexpensive sheet materials of plastic, light weightmetals, or of hard-finished cardboards or the like.

A further object of the invention is to provide a series of intervals orset times on the indicator so that as the person found himself able togo without cigarettes for, say, three hour intervals, he could changethe scale or indicator to make the intervals of four or five hours, andlater, do the same thing again, possibly to six or seven hours. Or, ifthe device was used for indicating the dispensing time for medicines,the indicator could be changed to indicate suitable intervals as desiredor prescribed.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be readilyapparent from consideration of the annexed drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the front of the cigarette case.

Fig. 2 is a side view in section taken on line 2--2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the actuating disc.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the indicator disc with sample time intervalsinscribed thereon, and

Fig. 5 is an exploded View of the parts of the invention in side View.

Referring to the drawings in which like numerals indicate like partsthroughout the several views, the container or case I B has a lid I lhinged at the back by a piano hinge 12 having a spring 113 incorporatedin the hinge to make the lid fly open when the catch I4 is released.

On the front of case I is attached the shallow box l having, in thisconception of the invention, an 'arcuate lower portion I6. A slot I! inface 15 permits the limited movement of the lever l8 which is aprojection from the edge of the actuating disc 19. Also on disc 19 asshown more clearly in Figs. 3 and 5 is the actuating pawl 20 which, whenthe lever is is moved in a counterclockwise direction in slot l1,engages with the edge of one or another of the perforations 2| in theindicator disc 22. The pawl 20 is so shaped as to slide up and out ofthe perforations 22 as the actuating disc [9 is returned to its first orclockwise position by the spring '23 which attaches by a lug 24 toactuating disc H by a similar lug 25 to the case Ill.

The shallow box I 5 has a second slot 28 formed by outwardly turnededges 29 in which is slidable an aperture plate 39. This permits theindicator disc to hear more than one series of time interval markings,only one circle of them being visible at a time through the aperture 3|of the aperture plate 30. Also attached to the actuating disc I9 is cam32, facing rearwardly and bearing against latch lever 34 as it is movedcounterclockwise to release catch I4. Latch lever 34 is Y-shaped and isbiased by spring 35 below the hinge 31. The shallow box or face l5 has aspring on its inner wall bearing against the indicator disc 22 with adetent or lug 4| on the end of it which will also slip into any one ofthe perforations 2| in the indicator disc 22.

The actuating disc I 9 and the indicator disc 22 are restrained fromlateral movement in the shallow box [5 in the following manner whichpermits rotary movement of each. A plate 42 is fastened to the front ofthe case l0 and has a circular socket 43 into which fits the boss 44formed or cemented on the rear of the actuating disc l9, this holds discIS in place for rotary movement only, and the indicator disc 22 is heldat its lower periphery by the inner side of the arcuate lower edge 16 ofthe box l5. While the lugs 20 and 4| engage the appropriate perforationsduring rotation and at rest, respectively, and thereby hold theindicator disc 22 from moving upwardly.

As will be seen in Fig. 4, the time interval indicia inscribed on theindicator disc 22 are in sequence by skipping a certain number ofperforations 2|, this is for the purpose of permitting the lever IB agreater length of stroke for each operation and gives a greater radialmovement for each opening of the lid II. This permits the widestlatitude of design of cam 32 in conjunction with the design of the latchlever 34, spring 35, and catch 14. The time interval indicia illustratedon the indicator disc 22 are here only suggested as applicable to acigarette case as an example, and are not deemed to be a part of theinvention. Any other indicia may be substituted as desired, and not tobe limited to the illustrated embodiment thusly described.

In operation, the case I!) is conveniently held in the left hand and thethumb of that hand moves the lever [B a single stroke downwardly whichrotates the indicator disc 22 to the next time interval and unlatchesthe lid II. The actuating disc l9 returns to its original position andlug 20 engages with the perforation 2| which is next in the skippedsequence. As here illustrated, the perforations which engage in sequenceand, therefore, the indicia which follow in sequence are 54 apart,permitting the stroke length of the actuating lever I8 to be 7 ofcircumference of the disc I9.

Obviously many modifications and variations of the present invention arepossible in the light of the above teachings. It is, therefore, to beunderstood, that within the scope of the appended claims, the inventionmay be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

What is claimed is:

1. A pocket container for cigarettes or the like having a reminder ofthe dispensing time intervals thereon comprising a case having a lidbiased to open position, a latch for said lid, a shallow box fixed tosaid case, a first disc in said box rotatably secured to said case, saiddisc having a latch-releasing-cam thereon, a second disc in said box,time interval indicia on said second disc, said indicia arranged on saiddisc in concentric circles and in skipped sequence in each circle, aslot in said box, an aperture plate slidable in said slot adapted toregister with any one of said indicia circles, a circle of spacedperforations in said second disc, means in said box releasabiy engagingone of said perforations, means on said first disc engageable withanother of said perforations for movement of said first and second discstogether, and lever means on said first disc operable through a slot insaid box to rotate said first and second discs While unlatching saidlid.

2. A dispensing case for cigarettes or the like having an automaticallyadvanced time-to-use indicator thereon comprising a substantiallyrectangular case, a shallow box secured to the side of said case, anindicia-bearing disc in said box, means including an arcuate side ofsaid box and detents for releasably restraining movement of said disc insaid box, means on said box including an aperture for exposing insequence a series of indicia on said disc, a lid on said box biased toopen position, a latch on said box adapted to hold said lid closed, andlever means protruding from said box constructed and arranged tosimultaneously actuate said latch and advance said disc in one directionto expose the indicia next in sequence.

3. In a pocket-size cigarette case having a lid spring-biased to openposition and a latch for said lid, the improvement of a visual reminderof the next of a series of set intervals of time to open said casecomprising a shallow box fixed to the front of said case, a discrotatable in said box, inscriptions on said disc representing desiredintervals of time, said inscriptions being arranged in concentriccircles thereon, an aperture plate slidable in the face of said boxadapted to expose one or another of said inscription circles an intervalat a time, said inscribed intervals in each circle being in skippedsequence and of an odd number so that said disc must be rotated a setnumber of more than one interval for said exposed intervals to besequentially following, pivotal means in said box for simultaneouslyunlatching said lid while advancing said disc to the sequentiallyfollowing interval, and lever means protruding from a slot in said boxoperable to actuate said pivotal means.

JOHN W. ENFIELD.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 184,529 Kata Nov. 21, 1876 973,156 Baumgartner Oct. 18, 19101,917,427 Brudney July 11, 1933

